The United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the Arakan Army (AA), announced the establishment of the 15-member “Arakha People’s Media Council” on Wednesday.
Aung Marm Oo, the Editor-in-Chief of Development Media Group (DMG), has been appointed to chair the newly-formed council.
According to the AA, the council was formed to protect the public’s right to access accurate information, defend press freedom and the rights of journalists, mediate and resolve media-related disputes, and carry out media development initiatives across AA-administered regions.
The 15-member council includes eight representatives from the media sector, two from literature and arts, and one each representing youth affairs, women’s affairs, legal affairs, finance, and statistics.
Joining Aung Min Oo in leadership roles are Vice Chair Thein Tun Zan of Arakkha Media, alongside key representatives from other prominent Arakan outlets, including Khine Myat Kyaw of Narinjara News, Myat Htwe Shin of One Nation News, and Kyaw Tha.
Literature and arts are represented by Thin Hlaing and Aung Ban Wee, while Hla Phaw Thu and Pan Thu Zan will oversee youth and women’s affairs, respectively. Aung Myat Zan was appointed to handle legal matters, with Naung Khaing Aung, Aung Tun Sein, and San Shwe Tun serving as secretaries, May May Myint as treasurer, and Win Win Than as auditor.
The establishment of the media council comes amid ongoing scrutiny over the AA’s handling of independent reporting and press safety in areas under its control.
Media watchdogs, including the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), have continued to monitor cases of detained media workers in the region, such as Border News Agency reporter Mu Dra, who was taken into custody by the AA on Sept. 20, 2025.
No information about Mu Dra’s detention or release have been shared by the AA with the media since then.
Press freedom groups have raised concerns over her ongoing detention and called for clear protections for reporters documenting conflict dynamics and human rights abuses, emphasizing that the new council’s credibility will largely depend on its ability to safeguard all working journalists.
Local journalists and media workers in Arakan expressed guarded optimism regarding the council’s creation, noting that its real impact will depend on ground-level changes in information access and press freedom.
Under the new administrative structure, journalists will be required to obtain media licenses and press identification cards directly from the Arakan Army before conducting reporting in areas controlled by the ethnic armed group.
The creation of the media council reflects the AA’s ongoing transition from an insurgent force toward formal territorial governance across western Myanmar.
The regime’s presence in the region has been largely reduced to three remaining coastal enclaves: the state capital of Sittwe, the deep-sea port town of Kyaukphyu, and the island township of Manaung.
